Ivey's Pov
As Lucas drifted back to sleep, I sat there with his hand still barely brushing mine, staring at nothing and everything all at once. The room was dim, quiet except for the soft rhythm of his breathing and the distant beeping of machines.
What are we?
I didn't have an answer. All I knew was that something had shifted. And the fact that it scared me a little only made it feel more real.
The door creaked open, cutting through my thoughts.
Kayla stepped inside with a coffee in each hand, scanning the room before her gaze landed on me , or more like on us.
She raised an eyebrow, lips already curled into a smirk, and sank onto the couch tucked in the corner.
"So," she said slowly, drawing the word out like she was unwrapping a secret, "what exactly did I walk in on this morning?"
I blinked, trying not to react. "What do you mean?"
Kayla gave me a look. "You. In his bed. Looking like the cover of some dramatic romance novel. I mean, should I knock louder next time?"
Heat rose to my cheeks. "Nothing happened. He was in pain. I was just... there."
"Mhm," she hummed, sipping her coffee with exaggerated nonchalance. "You 'just happened' to fall asleep wrapped around each other like a human security blanket?"
"I was comforting him," I snapped, sharper than I meant to. "It wasn't, It's not like that."
Kayla raised both eyebrows now. "Right. Of course. Because you never comfort people with forehead kisses."
I groaned, pressing my hands over my face. "Can you not make a thing out of this?"
"Too late. It's already a thing," she said, leaning forward. Her voice softened a little. "Look, I'm not teasing to be annoying. I just... I see the way you look at him, Ivey. And maybe more importantly? I see the way he looks at you."
I swallowed hard. "It's complicated."
"Most real things are."
I looked at Lucas again. His face was softer in sleep, peaceful in a way that made my chest ache. "He makes me feel... steady. Like I can stop pretending I'm fine all the time."
Kayla tilted her head. "So what's stopping you from leaning into that?"
"I don't know," I whispered. "Maybe I'm scared if I say it out loud, it'll stop being real. Or worse... it'll become something I can lose."
For once, Kayla didn't say anything right away. Then: "That sounds more like a reason to hold on. Not run from it."
I stared at Lucas's hand, still resting close to mine.
Maybe she was right.
Maybe I didn't need to define it yet.
But I couldn't pretend it wasn't becoming something.
Something big.
Something real.
Kayla looked at her phone and said "Anyway, I have to go now, bye!" Then she ran out the door.
The soft rustle of sheets pulled me from my thoughts. I glanced over just in time to see Lucas shift slightly, his eyelids fluttering open.
For a second, he looked disoriented. Then his eyes landed on me.
"You're still here," he murmured, voice scratchy with sleep.
"Of course I am," I said, my voice gentler than I expected it to be.
He gave me a sleepy smile. "Thought maybe I dreamed it. You, crawling into my hospital bed and saving me from loneliness."
I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help smiling. "Yeah, well. I figured one of us should be dramatic."
Lucas chuckled, then winced, his hand moving instinctively toward his ribs.
"Careful," I warned, scooting closer to help adjust his pillow. "You're not invincible."
"Don't ruin the illusion."
We both laughed, and the sound settled around us like a soft blanket. Warm. Familiar.
After a moment, he looked at me more seriously. "Thank you. For staying. For… being here, even when it couldn't have been easy."
"I didn't think twice," I admitted. "I couldn't leave you like that."
He reached for my hand again. His touch was light, but it felt like gravity.
"I keep trying to come up with something smart to say," he said. "Something that explains what this is, what we are. But every time I try, it just feels like… I'm going to mess it up."
My heart fluttered. I squeezed his hand. "Maybe you don't need the perfect words right now. Maybe it's enough to just feel it."
He nodded slowly, his eyes not leaving mine.
Silence settled between us again, but this time it wasn't awkward or heavy. It was easy. Full of things we didn't need to rush to say.
Lucas shifted again, his body relaxing against the pillows. "You know, if this is the part where I finally get discharged, I'm going to need someone to help me hobble out of here like an old man."
"I'll bring you a cane," I said dryly. "And maybe a little bell to ring when you want attention."
He grinned. "You do care."
"Yeah," I said quietly, brushing his hair back from his forehead. "Maybe more than I should."
"Not too much," he whispered. "Just… enough."
His eyes fluttered closed again, this time with the kind of sleep that comes when you know someone is watching over you.
And I was.
I sat there, holding his hand long after his breathing evened out, realizing something that scared me and steadied me all at once.
I wasn't going anywhere either.
Before I knew it I found myself curled up in his grip, hugging him again before going to sleep.